A Drop of Something New
by Monkey'sUniverse
Summary: An infant was left outside the gates of Konoha a year after the Kyuubi attack when the Sandaime Hokage found her. Of course, the first person she befriends is the eccentric Hokage-wannabe blonde. Where will she go from there? (I'm not sure where I'm going with this just yet, bear with me!) (OC-centric) :)
1. Chapter 1

**First Fanfic! Yay! This chapter and possibly the next one or so are gonna be about the OC, introducing you guys to her so you can get to know who she is and where she comes from (how she grew up).**

 **Read and Review! Thanks!**

* * *

It had been a year since the nine-tails attacked the Hidden Leaf and Kushina and Minato sacrificed themselves to seal the Kyuubi inside of Naruto Uzumaki. The village had just fully re-cooperated, everyone had fallen back into their regular routine, every death had been mourned, and the entire village had been repaired.

Night had fallen hours ago and the civilians had tucked themselves away in their beds. The only night life consisted of the poor souls with night duty and the occasional midnight stroller. The village was nearly silent.

The Sandaime Hokage himself happened to be one of the few midnight strollers walking around the streets of Konoha rather aimlessly. He'd had a rather late night working in his office and for an hour he sat at his desk thinking of the village's past, present and future. Once the past brought him memories that he'd rather not face again, he decided that a walk in the cool summer night air would help him to clear his mind.

Hiruzen Sarutobi made his way past the front gates, greeting the ninja who stood their posts. As he made to walk quietly past, a dark figure just outside the village walls caught his attention. Deciding to satisfy his curiosity, the Hokage moved closer to the opening but he didn't sense a thing. He sensed no chakra, no movement, no quiet breathing, nothing. He began to turn around when his ears just barely caught the soft cry that he would not have heard had he not had his ninja senses. He followed the sound to find a basket just outside the gates. Another cry could be heard from the basket and his feet began to move closer to the soft noise.

 _What is this? It sounds like…_ The Sandaime's thoughts trailed off and he opened the lid of the basket.

Bright blue-grey eyes stared back at him and at the first chance they got, tiny hands reached out to grab at his white and red robes.

 _A newborn child._ Hiruzen's brow creased. _Where did it - ? Why couldn't I sense anyone coming or the child's own presence?_

The child was tiny, smaller than your average newborn and had bright light blue eyes with flecks of grey. It was wrapped in a white blanket and that was it. Hiruzen reached down and slowly and cautiously he picked the child up and cradled it.

The Hokage sighed as the child he had brought into his arms played with whatever it could get its hands on, and looked around. He was surprised to find that he hadn't attracted much attention from the ninja around him but then again they were probably just keeping a distance.

"Whoever brought you here must be long gone by now." He mumbled. _I can't just leave it here._

He made a quick decision and turned around, child still in his arms. Walking back into the village, the ninja on duty shot their Hokage curious looks, brows furrowed at the sight of the child in his arms, other than that though, they seemed to leave it be.

Step by step he made his way to a small apartment in the middle of town and knocked on the door. Minutes later the door opened to reveal a woman with wise eyes and an obviously aged face. Wrinkles sat around her eyes and she stared at him calmly then her eyes took in the bundle in his arms. Slowly she opened the door and motioned for him to come in.

Anzu was an old civilian tea shop keeper whose shinobi husband of many years, Botan had been killed in combat during the second shinobi war. Botan was a very close childhood friend to Hizuren Sarutobi and the two had always helped each other out. When Hizuren Sarutobi ensured that Botan's body be returned to Anzu in one piece and given the burial a worthy shinbone deserved, Anzu declared herself forever in his debt.

The Sandaime cleared his throat. "I'm here to request of you to look after the child."

"Whose is it?"

"I'm not sure. I found it at the gate when I was walking. One minute there was nothing around for miles, the next there was a child in a basket. But I sensed nothing, not even the child until I heard it cry and I went to see what it was. None of the guards saw nor sensed anything either. I get an odd feeling from it though."

"Enough calling the child 'it'. Is the child a boy or a girl?"

Hiruzen had never thought to check and seemed just a bit caught off guard. Anzu rolled her eyes lightly. "What a wise man" she joked and reached out her arms as a signal for him to turn over the child. He handed the bundle to her.

Anzu undid the blanket that was wrapped neatly around the little body slowly.

"A girl." She breathed. Anzu felt a small hand wrapping around her finger.

"I think it- _she_ just likes to touch things. She was grabbing at my robes the entire way here…" He paused at the way Anzu looked at the little girl. Anzu and Botan had once had a child. It was a boy named Ayato. He died when he was only six years old. "So will you take her?"

"I will. But I ask, why couldn't you? Why me?"

"As Hokage, a child who is not my own is not something that I can deal with right now. I also believe that she needed someone who also needed her. That is you." Anzu looked at him with knowing eyes and in them flashed something Hiruzen could not quite recognize. _Happiness? Gratitude? Sadness? Loneliness?_ Whatever it was it was gone quickly and replaced again with the wise yet gentle eyes.

"I recognize what you are doing and I thank you." Hiruzen nodded and stood, moving to the door. He stopped and looked over his shoulder at the old woman and the child.

"I do not know the origins of the girl, but I should leave her to you in hopes that you will be her family and she will be yours."

The Sandaime turned to leave. As he left he nearly failed to hear the last thing Anzu said to him that night; it was barely a whisper.

 _"Haya"._

* * *

 **Three and a half years later**

People stared. Anzu didn't have to be a ninja to know that people stared. They did not stare nearly as much as they did at that boy with the nine-tails, but Anzu knew none-the-less that they stared at the mysterious child who showed up one night out of the blue three and a half years ago.

Anzu had taken Haya to the playground where Haya immediately ran to the monkey bars. She swung herself up and managed to sit herself right up top and then she stood and walked across the top, one bar at a time. She had done this many times before and at first it had worried Anzu's old heart but she soon realized that Haya had abnormal balance and that fighting her was rather pointless as the girl could and would find a loophole or just do it anyway.

The children that had been playing on the swing set jumped up and most of them ran while one stood still with his back turned and hands over his eyes, counting. Haya jumped down from the top of the bars when children ran toward her. They all stopped and eyed her skeptically.

"What are you guys doing?" Haya asked gently

"Playing hide and seek tag" One kid answered slowly. Haya's eyes lit up.

"Can I play too?"

"No! We're not supposed to talk to you." Another interjected. Haya didn't understand.

"Why? Says who?"

"Our parents said that you're an outsider! You don't even have a family. You've over extended your stay!" A girl said cooly even though she wasn't entirely sure what "over-extended" mean't, she just repeated her parent's words. "Go home!" Haya's face twisted a bit but not angrily, just sadly.

"I have parents or I wouldn't be here. I am a leaf villager. I've lived here all my life! I know all about the Leaf Village. And I thought this was a public park so why must I go home when you tell me to?" These were all things that Anzu had told her expecting something like this to happen.

"You are not. If you have parents then where are they?"

"I… I don't know. But I am part of the village!" By now the children's parents had noticed the crowd and come over to take their children home.

"Yumi!" One woman called with a frown on her face "Time to go." The girl who had asked most of the questions turned around and planted a big smile on her face before skipping over to her mother. They started to leave and Yumi's mother began to ask Yumi something once they had turned around. Haya didn't hear it but Anzu did. "Why were you talking to that girl? I told you not to associate yourself with her."

"I'm sorry mama. She came over to me! I didn't know what to do!" Lies.

"It's okay, just don't let it happen again." With that, everyone had left and Haya stood there not quite understanding what had happened.

"Anzu" She said quietly "Why don't I have parents? Why was I left alone? Why didn't they come with me?"

Anzu thought quietly for a long moment. "There are many possible reasons why they didn't stay here with you however, I may not be your blood family, but I just like to think that when I got you, we both gained family." Haya looked at Anzu and smile.

"Thank you, Anzu." Anzu smiled back.

"C'mon. Lets go home. I'll put on a pot of rice." Haya nodded happily and took the hand Anzu extended.

* * *

 **A year and a half later**

Haya walked back from the store to the apartment she lived in with Anzu with grocery bags lining her arms. She had gone on a walk and Anzu had asked her to bring back milk and some ingredients for homemade curry.

When she finally reached home, she walked up the steps and momentarily switched most of the shopping bags to one hand so she could open the door.

"Anzu" She called out "I'm home, I got everything you needed." Haya waited a moment. No response. "Anzu… You here?" There was no where else the woman would be, the tea shop closed an hour ago and Haya had gotten groceries, Anzu went to visit Botan every Sunday and Thursday but it was a Monday. Haya set the groceries on the counter, she had a bad feeling in the pit of her stomach. "Anzu" one last try. She walked through the living room to Anzu's room and hesitantly pushed open the door.

Anzu was on the bed. Her head on the pillow, blankets tugged up around her. _Oh,_ Haya thought. _She's sleeping. No wonder she didn't answer. Of course she would take a-_

Haya took another look. _Wait. Anzu snores._ She moved closer at an extremely slow pace. "Anzu?" Haha shook her once, twice, three times. She didn't understand what was happening. Why wouldn't Anzu wake up? "Anzu?" And then a thought creeped into the back of her five year old mind.

 _What if? No, no, no, no, no, no, no, NO!_ Haya put two fingers to Anzu's wrist and waited, it was something Anzu had taught her. Nothing. Anzu had no pulse.

Haya's fears were confirmed. Anzu was dead. Haya was alone.

Haya took a step back. Then another. Then another. Then she spun around and flew out of the room, slamming the door behind her. She sunk down to the floor against the door. For the first time in her life, Haya wanted to cry but nothing was coming out, her eyes didn't even water. Instead she got back up and ran out of the apartment and into the street.

"Somebody! It's Anzu, she has no pulse! Help me!" She yelled into the street. Anzu was well known and well liked by her neighbors and those who frequented her small tea shop. It was lucky that there were a few passerby's, civilian and shinobi alike, whom were among that crowd of frequent friendly shoppers. Two women that Haya recognized faintly covered their mouths with their hands in horror and two men, one shinobi and one civilian, ran up the stairs, past Haya and into the apartment. Haya followed and from behind her came several more people.

As she reached the bedroom a man, a shinobi, stepped out with a solemn expression on his face. Haya couldn't quite read the situation. She made to rush inside but the man stepped in front of her and slammed the door.

Haya pressed her ear up against the door trying to hear anything she possibly could. She could only make out a couple words out of the faint whispers that they spoke in.

"She was getting… older years" "…but…seemed fine" "Anzu… poor woman… take care of… outsider" "What… do with _it_?" "…heard…Hokage-sama…nuisance." "…back… came from" She couldn't make sense of much of what they were saying but there was one last word that she understand clearly and knew exactly who they were talking about; "orphan".

 _Where was she going to go?_ Lost in her thoughts, she didn't hear the doorknob turn and fell backwards on her back when the door swung open.

"What is she still doing here? You! Get out of here! There's no place for you" The shinobi sent her an angry look. He treated her like a stray dog, shooing it away from his garbage cans.

"W-why? A-anzu is m-my f-famly." Haya whimpered.

"Anzu is dead. You have no family here. This is not your home." Haya lifted her head and her eyes widened considerably.

 _Anzu is dead. Anzu is dead. Anzu is dead._ Her mind repeated that over and over again. She knew but she couldn't acknowledge the idea. Shock coursed through her veins and she turned around, attempting to stand but fumbling again and landing face-first.

As soon as she was shakily on her feet, Haya ran. She ran as fast as she could to the door, down the steps and out into and down the street.

Haya ran aimlessly. She didn't know where she was going nor did she care. She just had to get away from there.

B-but Anzu always said, "good things come to good people. Be a good little girl and work for what you want and good things will come." So why not? _I've never asked for anything other than to always been with Anzu, I've always tried to be a good girl. Why? Why? Why!?_

Haya felt her legs begin to give out from beneath her yet she kept running until finally her knees buckled and she fell to the ground scraping her knee in the process and cutting up her hands. She grunted in pain and yet she still didn't cry. _I wonder if Anzu felt pain._ Slowly, she rose and sat back on her calves, sitting straight like she was taught. She looked around and took in her surroundings.

 _The Ninja Academy? But... This is three miles from home_. How long had she been running for? It hadn't felt that long to Haya but she hardly remembered running there anyhow. Haya spotted a bench a few feet away from her and eyed it sleepily, weighing her options. The sun had set long ago and it was a warm summer night. It must have been quite late. No one was around, everyone still awake would be walking around downtown, not here.

 _I can't go back now_. Haya thought.

Deciding that she didn't have a choice, Haya went and laid herself down on the bench and curled up. After all that running, it didn't take her long to slowly drift asleep.

* * *

 **Ok, so this is my first fanfiction. I got this account a LONG time ago but never wrote anything :( I would LOVE suggestions on what to fix because I'm sure that there are plenty of errors here but please, NO HATE. IF THERE IS AN ERROR ABOUT KONOHA PLEASE CORRECT ME AND I WILL CORRECT IT!**

 **Like it, love it, hate it, review it.**

 **I will try to update soon but I've always been a busy body.**

 **THANKS FOR READING AND I'LL SEE Y'ALL SOON**


	2. Chapter 2

**Hello Again!**

 **Okay! Another chapter! Again theres not much progress, I feel like I can get REALLY carried away! Anyway, by next chapter we should get a little into the Naruto timeline. Yes, this story will follow the timeline for a little while, it's sort of like "guidelines" for me. I'll definitely start branching off I'm just not sure when that'll be.**

 **ANYWAY! READ AND REVIEW!  
DISCLAIMER: I do not own Naruto or any of the characters. I only own my OC, Haya.**

* * *

Haya suddenly felt consumed by reality as she opened her eyes and blinked, light seeping in through the opening between her eyelids. She rubbed away the grogginess and blinked again only to find herself looking straight into a pair of curious bright blue , Haya jumped up and landed behind the bench she had be lying on.

Haya hid for a minute before slowly peeking up over the bench again only to find that pair of eyes missing from the line of vision.

"Why were you sleeping on a bench?" A voice called out making Haya turn towards the direction it came from. She came nose-to-nose with a young boy with _very_ blonde hair wearing a _very_ orange jumpsuit. He couldn't have been much older than herself.

"Um… I w-was…" She trailed off. Why _was_ she sleeping on a bench? She was just on her way home from the store with groceries for An.. _Anzu._ She almost choked on the thought, remembering all the occurrences from the night before.

 _Anzu is dead._ It repeated again and again in her mind. Haya stood frozen, eyes wide, mouth partially open.

The boy poked his head into her line of sight. "Hey. Are you okay?"

 _No. I don't have a home anymore. My only family is dead,_ She thought. She wanted to cry. Haya smiled instead.

"I'm fine! I was only… um… napping!" The blonde boy eyed her suspiciously, not quite buying it, but surprisingly, he didn't try to pry any further.

"Alright! I could use a good nap too!" He straightened up and grinned, shoving his thumb towards his chest, pointing to himself. "My name is Naruto Uzumaki and I'm gonna be Hokage one day! Believe it!" Haya raised an eyebrow and giggled at his antics, forgetting slightly about her sadness. She didn't know who he was nor had she ever met him before but something about him just made her automatically like him. Specifically his eyes, the blue was a bright blue rather than icy and they were full of warmth and happiness. They made her happy just by looking at them.

"Hokage, eh?" She eyed him lightly. "I was always told that if you work hard everyday, you can make your own dreams come true, if you work for it maybe one day." She smiled. "I'll root for you, Naruto." Naruto looked slightly surprised at that.

"So why are you here at the Academy? Are you gonna be a ninja too?"

"A ninja? Never thought about it. " She shrugged.

"Being a ninja is cool! When I'm a ninja people will respect me and accept me!" Naruto exclaimed.

"They'll accept you?" She was curious now

"Yeah! Especially when I'm Hokage! Everyone will love me and respect me! Believe it!"

"How old do I have to be to enroll?"

"Gee, I don't know. I started when I was five. How old are you?"

"I just turned five years old a couple of months ago!"

"Hmmm… You're two years younger than me! Well then come with me! I'm sure Iruka-sensei can help out and get you in! Maybe you can be in my class! You'd miss all the boring stuff!" Naruto grabbed Haya's hand and pulled her into the front doors of the Academy.

"W-wait! Naruto! Now?!" Haya wasn't ready for this. She had only been to school once and all the parents and kids made her an outcast so Anzu homeschooled her after that.

"It's okay! Lets go!"

Naruto dragged her along through various hallways until he stopped at a random door. Naruto swung the door open and what little chatter was going on had ceased.

Haya looked around briefly. She didn't need much time to take in her surroundings. There were about 20 people in the room not including herself and Naruto. She recognized none of them, however some of them recognized Naruto for sure. A couple of girls groaned and some guys rolled their eyes. There was one girl however, who turned bright red at the sight of him and looked down, twiddling her fingers. Haya tucked that information away.

"Naruto, how are you so early? And who's that?" A chubby brown-haired boy with a bag of chips in his hands asked almost immediately. Naruto blinked at both questions.

"I just ended up here I guess… and…" He scratched the back of his head and leaned over towards Haya "what was your name again?" he whispered. Haya realized she had never given him her name at all. Just her age and encouraging words.

"My name's Haya" she whispered back.

"This is Haya, and she's gonna be a ninja like the rest of us! Believe it!" He shouting all while pointing at Haya.

"Naruto. You can't just invite random citizens to be ninja." Another boy with dark glasses and a hood on scolded him.

"Well she's not just any random citizen, she thinks I'm gonna be Hokage someday too!" Naruto shouted back.

 _They're all being pretty mean to Naruto. What did he do to them?_

"Great. Just what we need. Another Naruto." A voice sounded behind Haya and Naruto as they stood at the door, it was dripping in sarcasm.

Haya turned to see a young boy with jet black hair wearing a navy blue shirt walk in. His eyes were a very dark onyx, eyes so dark you couldn't see the pupil. She found them interesting in themself but at the same time she didn't like them. They were completely opposite of Naruto's bright blue and the dark, cold and narrowed look they held made her want to shudder. He had a scowl plastered on his face and he glared at her. Deciding for herself that she didn't like his attitude, Haya glared right back and the boy looked slightly taken aback, then he got over it, turned, and walked to the desks to take a seat.

Petty bickering could be heard from the hall as two girls followed shortly after.

"No! Sasuke is mine! So I should be the one walking in right after him! You can come after _me_."

"In your dreams! What about _you_ would Sasuke think is better than _me_? Hmph!"

Both girls were trying to push the other out of the way so they could go into the classroom first. One girl had long, pink, raggedy hair, green eyes, wore a red outfit. The other (currently winning their feud) had long blond hair swept up into a ponytail with bangs hanging upfront. She was clad in basically all purple.

Deciding that right in the door way was not the best place to stand, Haya stepped a couple of feet away and shooed Naruto along with her. Both girls burst into the doorway at the exact same time and glared at each other before going to their respective seats.

Naruto motioned her to stand by the wall so she did and she watched as he giggled and grabbed a chalkboard eraser and set it above the door using a chair.

"Now, when Iruka-sensei walks in, he'll get it." Haya rolled her eyes at him but he gave her a thumbs up and then dragged her to his seat. They shared a chair because there weren't enough and waited.

A couple of minutes went by before the door opened slowly and the eraser fell directly on the poor person walking in. What surprised everyone was when the figure burst into a puff of smoke and a log fell in the doorway with the eraser.

"Aw man! Substitution justu!" Naruto groaned. For a second time, a tanned brown-haired man walked into the doorway and looked around to classroom, glaring.

"NARUTO!" He shouted and Naruto scratched the back of his head.

"Whoopsie. Sorry Iruka-sensei" Naruto grinned sheepishly. Haya just sat there quietly and Iruka noticed her after a couple of minutes of glaring at Naruto.

"Naruto. Who. Is. That?" He pointed at Haya.

"Oh, _this_ is Haya. She's gonna be a ninja!" Iruka rubbed his temples.

"OK. Well she can't just walk into our class. You've been learning ninja techniques for years. You wouldn't be in the same class at all. Besides, she needs to enroll in the Academy before she can go to class. You've got it backwards, Naruto.

"Well then sign her up!" Naruto exclaimed. Iruka sighed and looked at Haya shaking his head slightly.

"Class, I'll be right back. You." Iruka pointed at Haya. "Come with me." Haya jumped up and followed Iruka out of the class and into the hallway, he shut the door and turned to her. "You-"

"Don't call me 'you'. I have _name,_ and it's Haya." She folded her arms. Haya was tired, sad, and frustrated and all she wanted was to be a ninja student. She didn't want to be called "you" or have a classroom full of kids insult her or her new friend a.k.a her _only_ friend. "And I am very sorry that I disturbed your class, but Naruto said that his sensei could probably fix it so that I could come here. I've decided that I would like to be a ninja if that's okay."

"Haya…" Iruka rolled the name over his tongue. It sounded familiar but he wasn't completely sure from where. Then his eyes widened. "The kid Anzu raised?!" He looked like he'd seen a ghost. Haya raised her head.

"You know Anzu?" Then her eyes dropped again and her mouth formed a thin line. "Then do you know…? _About_ Anzu?" Iruka's eyebrows knitted.

"What about Anzu?"

"Anzu… A-Anzu is d-dead." She stuttered. Iruka's eyes widened and his mouth set into the shape of a small "o".

"C—" Iruka coughed as if to clear his shock rather than his throat "C-come with me" and he led down the hall quickly. He stopped at a door and hesitated before knocking.

"Come in" Iruka opened the door and motioned Haya into the office. "Iruka?" A voice questioned "What are you here for? Do you not have a class?" Iruka bowed his head slightly.

"I do Hokage-sama, but Naruto brought this girl into class today. She is a citizen and he insists that she become a ninja." The Chunin stepped aside allowing the Sandaime to see the child.

"Well then" the Hokage smiled at Haya "Lets get you enrolled in the Academy. How old are you?" Haya nodded slowly.

"Hokage-sama. There's another thing. This is the child that Anzu raised. She claims that Anzu is dead. Is this true?" Iruka's questions caused the Hokage's eyebrows to knit together.

"Yes, I had been informed of this." He turned his gaze onto Haya. "Look at you. You're growing nicely. Anzu… she did very well with you _Haya_."

Haya blinked once. Twice. A third time. "You know my name?" The Hokage chuckled.

"I know many things." The Hokage smiled knowingly with a certain gleam in his eye. There was a short pause and the Hokage's expression grew solemn. "I was very sorry to hear about Anzu… I know she mean't alot to you."

"She did" Haya frowned sadly

"When I sent a ninja to find you, you were no where to be found." The Hokage looked to be lost in thought. "Young lady, are you aware of how difficult it is for any regular jonin ninja to remain hidden from the anbu I sent to retrieve you, let alone a citizen child?" Hizuren raised an eyebrow only half-expecting an answer. Haya simply looked confused. "Where were you anyway?"

Haya seemed slightly hesitant to recall the events from the prior evening. "I… ran as far away as I could until the sun went down and I didn't know where I was anymore so I fell asleep on a bench underneath a street lamp. When I woke up, Naruto had found me and we were right outside of the Academy." Both Iruka and the Hokage exchanged looks without Haya's knowledge. The room was quiet when neither the Hokage nor Iruka said anything she asked: "Am I in trouble?"

The Hokage smiled at her. "No. You are officially enrolled in the academy. I will put you in Naruto's class if you think that you can catch up to the curriculum. They have been learning mostly informational things for a while. Do you think you can do it?" Haya nodded when he paused, looking at her expectantly. "Good, go back to the classroom and let your fellow students know that Iruka will return in just a moment." Haya nodded and smiled slowly before whispering a quiet "thank you Hokage-sama" and fleeing the room. Iruka turned towards the Hokage once she was out of earshot.

"Hokage-sama, I don't think I understand. How could the Anbu not sense her chakra presence? I felt that it was very strong just now."

"I am unsure. I do however, know that when I found her outside of Konoha, the only thing that alerted me to her presence was her own crying." The Hokage clasped his arms behind his back. "I couldn't even sense another person but I simply assumed at the time that the one who dropped her off was skilled enough to mask their chakra and Haya's as well."

"And those chakra levels… They seem almost as high a Naruto''s. Do you think she could be an…" Iruka trailed off and the Hokage sighed.

"There is no way of knowing at this point. I would very much prefer to keep an eye on her. Iruka, please take note of her during your lessons." Iruka seemed slightly surprised.

"But sir, she's not the same age as all the other kids, she wouldn't be up to the other children's levels." The Hokage grinned.

"Ah, but she was raised by Anzu of all people. There is no doubt in my mind that academically the child is far beyond those of her own age group. Test her knowledge if you must. As for shinobi skills, I have faith that she will progress at a proper rate. After all, she doesn't have much to compare to with Naruto in her class and it's not as though I ask for her to be on par with the Uchiha." Iruka seemed reluctant but her nodded anyway.

"Yes sir"

"You are dismissed." Iruka nodded and left quickly.

"Now, onto her living arrangements…"

* * *

 **OKIE DOKIE! There we are! Chapter 2 is done! Again, hopefully by next chapter I can get into it more I just really get carried away setting things up.**

 **READ AND REVIEW!**

 **CONSTRUCTIVE CRITICISM IS ALWAYS VERY MUCH APPRECIATED!**

 **THANKS FOR READING! See you next time!**


	3. Chapter 3

**Hello Again!**

 **I'm trying to get a little bit into the Naruto timeline now… Lets just hope this works out!**

 **Okie Dokie!**

 **Read and Review!**

 **DISCLAIMER: I do not own Naruto or any of the characters. I only own my OC, Haya.**

* * *

Haya walked down the hallway of the Academy back towards the classroom. As she neared the doorway she could hear the muffled conversations of all of the students in the room. There was a certain warm feeling in her stomach at the thought that she would spend so much time among other kids her age. It was a good feeling. A feeling that she could make friends. That she had already made a friend.

Haya was so lost in thought that she hadn't noticed the small, powdery rectangle falling when she opened the door until it was a couple of inches above her head. The most she could do was close her eyes and squeeze her lips really tight. The eraser land face down in her hair and a white cloud surrounded her in seconds.

Haya still had her eyes closed when the entire room bursted out into fits of laughter. There was a poke on her shoulder and she opened one eye to see an apologetic (only slightly) blonde wearing a flashy orange jumpsuit struggling to contain his laughter.

"Haha! I was expecting Iruka-sensei to come through first!" Haya raised a slight eyebrow as the boy doubled over as if in pain only to straighten himself back up with a very large smile on his face. "But you were pretty funny too!"

One look at the gigantic grin on Naruto's face and Haya began to smile as well. She grinned as she picked the eraser off of her head and lightly smacked it on Naruto's face. The eraser fell to the ground forgotten, and another white cloud of chalk dust erupted between them.

Naruto's laughing ceased. He stared at her with wide eyes as she took her turn in a burst of laughter. Naruto let out a loud puffy breath that made it look as though he were breathing chalk dust and stared at her before breaking out into a goofy grin.

"You know, you're not so bad! I was a little worried you were gonna be really boring like all of those other girls but you're pretty cool!" Haya raised an eyebrow.

"Uh, thank you? I guess. You're not so bad yourself."

Naruto looked a little taken aback. Was that, a _compliment_? Not being one to waver in this type of situation Naruto's smile just increased ten fold. "So we're really friends huh?! Ok! Then you can sit with me for real this time" Naruto, putting on airs, put his hand near his mouth and whispered "it's kind of an awesome spot because, y'know, you're next to me. So don't be surprised if everyone gets jealous!"

Haya could tell that there was no truth in his words but nodded along anyway. Who was she to disagree with her first and only friend? And she liked Naruto, he was nice and kind.

She followed Naruto up to his seat once again and sat down on his left in the chair that had miraculously appeared.

"So, I'll introduce you to everyone!" He pointed to the brown haired boy with a bag of chips in his hand "That's Choji, he's from the Akimichi clan his favorite hobbies include eating, eating and eating. Don't steal his chips he gets really mad" Naruto warned her but it didn't seem like he took that warning to heart himself. "Next to him is Shikamaru Nara! He is lazy." Haya eyed the dark haired boy and giggled when she noticed he was sleeping. "Next, that mutt over there is Kiba Inuzuka, and his dog is Akamaru" Kiba aggressively spun around.

"HEY! Naruto! Who're you calling a mutt!?" Naruto just continued on like it was nothing.

"The quiet bore over there is Shino Aburame. He doesn't say much and he never takes off his hood. His clan likes to play with bugs so it's pretty cool but other than that he's nothing special." Shino twitched slightly at Naruto's comments and Haya felt kind of bad but other than that Shino sat there and said nothing. "The girl with the cool eyes is Hinata-chan. She has a byakugan because she's a Hyuga. She's a little shy but she's a nice person." As Haya's eyes settled on the dark haired girl she could see her ears turning an unnatural shade of red. "She's also the future head of the clan which is really cool! Actually, a lot of our classmates are future heads. Anyway. Next is Ino. She's kind of annoying and all she does is follow that loser Sasuke around. On a similar note there's _Sakura-chan"_ Naruto's words kind of came out in a longing sigh that made Haya raise an eyebrow "She's so pretty and pretty and her only bad trait is that she likes to follow that BAKA around as well. It's really annoying. But anyway, she's pretty."

Ino and Sakura who had each slowly become even more furious finally let out their rage. "NARUTOOOO!" They both landed two pretty strong punches on him and Haya was a little shocked.

"Why do you hit your classmate? He didn't really deserve it. He's only speaking the truth. I've only been here an hour and I already know that the way you follow that guy around is really annoying not only for us but also probably for him. I haven't seen him talk you either of you once. Besides, I'm not entirely sure what's so great about him anyway. He kind of looks like a duck." Haya finished her little speech and a majority of the class apart from Sasuke's fangirls erupted in giggles and laughter.

Looking back at Sakura and Ino, Haya couldn't quite tell if they wanted to also punch her for making fun of Sasuke or if they wanted to leave her alone because she declared that she didn't want Sasuke.

She didn't get to find out because all the giggling and laughter stopped when Iruka entered the room and everyone was back in their seats.

"So, as I am sure you all have noticed, we have a new student. This is very very rare but it comes with special circumstances that I will not be explaining at the moment. Anyway, what I expect is that Haya gets caught up the best that she can so she doesn't fall behind in class. Anyway, today we are going to be working on hand to hand combat and throwing kunai. Any questions? Good. Lets go."

Everyone got up and following Iruka out of the classroom, down the hall, and outside to the knife throwing area. "Sakura! You'll go first."

Sakura stepped up and held her nose high as Iruka handed her a blunted kunai. She threw the kunai and it landed a couple of notches below the target. She threw a few more and each one hit the post but none the target. She looked a little defeated but still arrogant when she turned around and walked back to the crowd. Ino went next and her kunai landed at about the same distance away from the target if not slightly closer which made her wear a grin that said "I'm better than you" to rub in Sakura's face.

After that Iruka called a couple more people up. Everyone did okay, some missed the post on one try and got it on another. "Naruto! It's your turn." Haya wished him good luck and Iruka handed him the first kunai.

The kunai was gone in a **WHOOSH** and it looked almost as if everyone… _ducked? Why?_ Haya thought. Her question was answered when the kunai hit with a **THUD** to her right and she saw Iruka holding up his clipboard with a kunai in it. _How did he make it go backwards?_

"Thank god that kunai is blunt." Iruka whispered. He slowly reach forward with a new kunai and handed it to Naruto. "Focus this time. please."

Naruto threw the second and it whizzed straight by the post with a good foot in between.

Sakura snorted "Well at least it went forward this time and didn't nearly kill any of us!" Everyone giggled. Haya even saw the ever-stoic Sasuke snort.

Discouraged, Naruto threw the last kunai. It hit the post. But not the correct post either. It hit the wrong practice post that stood next to the target. Everyone laughed even harder. "That was even worse!" Sakura laughed.

Haya shot a worried glance at Naruto and saw his eyes hooded over and he was avoiding looking anywhere but at his feet.

All Haya could here was Sakura's laughter that encouraged all the other students to laugh.

Now, Haya was not normally one to act impulsively, but having a friend was nice and she suddenly felt protective when someone hurt his feelings so before anyone else even knew what had happened Haya had pulled the stray kunai from Iruka's clipboard, lined up her shot and there was suddenly a kunai in the tree. Directly. Above. Sakura's. Head. The crowd of cackling students was suddenly dead silent.

Everyone's eyes were flickering from the kunai, to Sakura, to Haya and back to the kunai again. Sakura shrieked. A delayed response but none the less, a response. "YOU COULD HAVE KILLED ME!" She marched up to Haya before turning to Iruka with a finger pointed accusingly at Haya. "SHE IS A PSYCHO!" Haya felt slightly intimidated by the screaming pink banshee yet she still stood her ground.

"But I didn't kill you. And you were being really mean to Naruto."

"BUT YOU ALMOST KILLED ME!"

"No. I didn't. I was six inches away from your head. I hope this means you won't be so mean to Naruto or anyone else anymore. You're not a very nice person you know." Haya shrugged. Sakura blinked. Ino snorted. Naruto didn't even blink, he just looked confused. The rest of the class blinked. Iruka was still recovering from the kunai hitting the tree. _Wait_ , did the corner of Sasuke's mouth just _twitch_?

"Haya. Did you _aim_ for the spot just about Sakura's head?" Iruka asked once he had regained composure.

Haya shrugged in response. "I guess so. I didn't want to kill her. I don't ever wan't to hurt anyone. I just wanted her to shut up and quit being so rude."

Iruka silently handed Haya a kunai wanting to test his theory. "You're up Haya. Please demonstrate your aim." Haya hesitantly took the object out of Iruka's hands and into her own.

"WAIT, WHAT?!" Sakura shrieked "SHE'S NOT IN TROUBLE?!"

Iruka sighed "Sakura, if she wasn't aiming at you and can prove it then no. If her aim is so good that she can plan a shot like than and hit it exactly then your life was never truly in danger. If you're not ready for near death experiences then you're not ready to be a genin or a ninja at all." Sakura shut up after that.

"Lets go Haya!" Naruto shouted smiling.

Haya held the knife. She felt its weight, the way it lay in her hand, her grip on it. This was different from the butter knives she used to cut apples from the trees in the apple orchard. It was how she had such good aim. She and Anzu liked to eat the fresh fruit so she would throw knives up and cut the apples down if they were far out on a branch or so high up that she couldn't climb up to them although the latter was much rarer, there was hardly a tree she couldn't climb.

Haya turned and looked at Iruka, pointing at the target questioningly. Iruka nodded and Haya took it as a "begin".

Taking a deep breath, Haya threw the knife. It whizzed through the air and everyone was silent with anticipation until it landed with a **THUNK!** in the tiny little notch made on the practice post that everyone likes to call the target. Turning around Haya was met with numerous looks of shock. Iruka silently handed her another kunai and motioned her to take ten steps back and throw at the other post. She did so, and again her kunai hit the mark. And again. And again. With each throw her distance increased until she couldn't back up any further.

"Then it wasn't a lucky throw. Haya, your throwing skills are incredible. low-chunin level at least. The only way to increase them would be to add a chakra nature. You will tap into yours when you become a ninja." Iruka concluded and congratulated her as he scribbled something on his clipboard.

"I was just hungry" she mumbled under her breath.

"That was amazing!" Naruto came bounding up to her. Haya was relieved that his feelings weren't hurt just because she was better at it than he was.

"Thank you."

"Where did you learn that?!"

"I taught myself. Kunais are a lot different than a civilian's butter knife." She shrugged and Naruto gave her an odd look.

"Last but not least, Sasuke, you're up." Sasuke walked out of the crowd with his eyes closed and his hands in his pockets. He ignored all the girls making oogly eyes at him and cooing his name. As he passed Haya he gave her a look that was a mix between a glare and some look of awe. He was handed his kunai all at once and within seconds they had landed one under the other in a very neat line going down the post. He then shoved his hands in his pockets, turned around, and walked back, smirking at Haya on the way.

"That's all for the kunai throwing well done everyone! Except you Naruto. Please improve for next class. Now to the hand to hand combat. No special skills or ninjutsu. This is a test of taijutsu." Again everyone followed Iruka to the next spot.

"I am pairing you by how well you did with the knife throwing. The two best knife throwers will face off as will the two worst. So Sasuke and Haya, you two will go last." Haya snuck a glance at Sasuke who was looking at her with a smug grin on his face. "Naruto and Kiba, you two will go first. Then Sakura and Ino. Shikamaru and Shino. Hinata and Choji. etc. Alright, Naruto and Kiba, please step forward." The three stepped forward; Naruto, Kiba, and Akamaru.

"Iruka! There's two of them!" Naruto pointed out

"But in combat they will work as one so it is allowed." Naruto huffed. "Ready? Begin!"

Naruto charged Kiba head on and Haya immediately knew the outcome of the match. She looked away and within seconds, Naruto was on the ground.

"YEAH! Take that Naruto!" Kiba gloated and Akamaru yipped excitedly. Naruto got up slowly and walked back to stand by Haya grumbling.

"It was two against one" he huffed and Haya giggled at him.

"Next time Naruto, next time." She patted him reassuringly on the shoulder and he lightened up.

The matches went on. Sakura and Ino tied. Shino beat Shikamaru by default because half way through Shikamaru stopped and walked away claiming he needed a nap. Choji beat Hinata but not by a lot. They were fairly evenly matched which was surprising enough given their size difference. A pair named Kai and Aoi went and the two evenly matched boys seemed to be best friends as they lightheartedly trash talked each other while they fought and tied. One by one, matches went by until the second to last was over and Iruka called out the last match.

"Sasuke and Haya! You're up." Haya met Sasuke when Iruka stood and felt her stomach roll. She was nervous. She had never fought anyone before. The kunai were lucky since it related to something she had already done, but this? She couldn't do this. Especially against Sasuke who just oozed skill and experience.

She faintly heard the word "begin!" before she noticed Sasuke shift his weight. As his foot flew towards her head she dropped to the ground and rolled underneath his flying form almost on instinct. Graceful? No. Effective? Yes. He was now where she had been seconds ago and she had managed to be where he was a second ago when she got back on her feet. When he would throw a punch she would move away just enough to avoid it. If he tried to kick her high she ducked, a kick low and she jumped. When he aimed a kick to her midsection she would pull the same move as the first kick and sprawl out on the ground like a pancake before rolling out of the way.

Naruto cheered every time she dodged and booed every time Sasuke threw something at her. She was completely on the defensive and had no idea what she was doing. She was surprised she had lasted this long against Sasuke who, from what she had gathered based off of the number of fangirls, was good at this stuff.

Iruka wasn't quite sure himself how the girl had lasted this long but he wasn't sure how long she could stay on the defensive.

"You're quick." Sasuke huffed as she dodged a punch. He had been thinking the same as Iruka. "But I am too and just defense won't save you."

Despite what he said, Haya noted that his punches were slowing. It was barely noticeable but it was there. She took the opportunity on a especially slow punch and blocked it for the first time. Acting in the moment on pure adrenaline Haya swept down and kicked one of his legs out from under him making him fall. Thinking fast, Sasuke took her down with him and they both fell.

The both struggled to stand back up and breathing heavy they looked directly at each other. He wasn't giving up. And she didn't have the means to take him down.

Rather than of preparing for the next punch, Haya bowed to Sasuke. "I surrender." Sasuke looked at her like she had two heads. Everyone was surprised. Sasuke soon regained his stoic look and stuck his hands in his pockets. A cocky grin was plastered on his face.

"Well of course you couldn't beat me, you're a loser just like the dobe."

"Why you little-" Naruto was getting very annoyed. So was Haya.

Instead of answering either comment, Haya took the opportunity to catch Sasuke off guard and swept his legs out from under him, then she stepped right over him and walked back to Naruto who was grinning at her.

Haya turned to look back at Sasuke "I look forward to the rematch" she said before pulling Naruto off to find something to eat as it was about time for lunch and she knew that taijutsu was the last lesson of the morning.

* * *

 **HELLO MY BEAUTIFUL READERS! I HOPE YOU LIKED IT! I'VE BEEN REALLY BUSY WITH SCHOOL AND WHATEVER SO I HAVENT BEEN ABLE TO UPDATE RECENTLY BUT THATS OKAY BECAUSE I GOT YOUR BACKS.**

 **So Haya is an expert knife thrower eh? She's got a couple of quirky things about her that are definitely gonna help her out and this is just one. I hope you like it and her.**

 **ANYWAY…**

 **As always, READ AND REVIEW and I hoped you enjoyed the chapter. I'm gonna start working on it now because there's a blizzard today and my power is out so this is basically all I'm doing.**

 **I don't want to make Sakura the bad guy ( _Girl)_ but I'm sticking to the canon personality for her and how she changes over the years. **


	4. Chapter 4

**This time the update's surprisingly not that far away from the previous one! I'm rewatching the Shonen Jump Naruto episodes on Netflix. AND OH HOW THE THEME SONG SOUNDS!**

 **ANYWAYYYYY**

 **I DO NOT OWN NARUTO OR ANY CHARACTERS ORIGINATED FROM NARUTO. I DO OWN HAYA, BOTAN AND ANZU SO FAR THOUGH!**

 **READ AND REVIEW!**

* * *

The two of them had found themselves in one of the various cherry blossom trees surrounding the school.

"What'd you bring for lunch, Haya-chan? I brought ramen!" Naruto held out an instant cup of ramen. Haya raised an eyebrow at him.

"Naruto, if you just brought a cup of ramen, how do you plan to get hot water?" Naruto's empty hand immediately disappeared only to reappear with a tall thermos. He quickly peeled the lid off the paper cup, uncapping the thermos and pouring the steaming water in.

"This is one of the things I hate most, Haya-chan, the three minutes that it takes for the noodles to soften." Naruto pouted and Haya just laughed at him as she found herself doing alot this past day. His state of distress was gone quickly however, as the second the noodles had softened they were immediately wound around chopsticks and shoved into Naruto's mouth. He smiled wide as he chewed and Haya couldn't help but smile back; his smile was contagious.

"S wut did ou bring fo unch?" A small noodle fell from Naruto's mouth and Haya almost laughed. Naruto had been a great distraction all day but as she finally got the chance to stop and think about the reality of what had happened the day before, the reason why she was there with Naruto at that moment, she was overcome with grief.

"I-I don't have a lunch…" She paused "I don't think I have a home either." Naruto's eyes widened and then softened. He remembered seeing her on the bench but he hadn't known why or how she ended up there. Sensing that she may be hesitant to talk about it, Naruto just swallowed his ramen and held out the paper cup to her.

"If you don't have lunch then we can share! And if you don't have a home, you can share mine too." Naruto didn't hesitate. Haya just stared at him slightly bewildered.

"R-really?"

"Of course! I have a ton of ramen stashed away! Sh, it's a secret and you can't tell anyone!"

Haya hesitated as Naruto once again shoved the cup of ramen in her face "That's not what I mean't. I can really live with you? Who do you live with?" The light in Naruto's eyes dimmed slightly but he just looked back at her and forced a smile.

"I live alone! So it's really not a problem! That's what friends are for, right?" The question was designed to be rhetorical and yet Naruto himself wasn't actually sure. He had never had a real friend.

"I think so" Haya herself wasn't entirely certain but she did know one thing: with this bright and energetic blonde around, she was probably going to find out.

They spent the next couple of minutes sharing Naruto's cup of ramen and talking about silly things. They asked each other questions like 'what's your favorite color?' or 'what's your favorite food?'. It was ten minutes of sitting in the tree when Haya's thoughts came back to haunt her again.

 _Anzu._

 _"_ Naruto. I think I want to tell you why you found me on the bench." She paused to make sure he was listening and when she met his bright blue eyes she continued. "I was left outside of the village gates when I was an infant. I was found and raised by a kind old lady named Anzu. She was family. I'm not entirely sure why, but no one really likes me. They call me 'foreign' and say that I don't belong here."

"I get what you mean…" When Haya saw Naruto's eyes she hesitated to continue. They had lost the certain brightness and had darkened considerably.

"I was sent out, yesterday, to buy a couple of groceries. The store is just minutes away from home so I went alone. When I got back I couldn't find her and when I did I thought she was just sleeping but… But Anzu was dead. When I got help they yelled at me to go away and so I did. And, Naruto I don't want to go back! I'm… I'm scared. I don't know what to do anymore" Haya's expression displayed exactly what she was: a lost child.

"I'm sorry" Naruto wasn't sure what else to say. He was alone too but he had always been alone. He didn't know what it felt like to lose someone and at the moment something inside the irrational kid told him that. "Haya, now we have each other right? We'll never be alone right? Never ever?"

Haya was on the verge of tears already. "Yes" she sniffled

"Promise?"

"Pinky promise."

And just like that. With an interlocking of their smallest yet seemingly most useful fingers, two lost children would never have to be alone again. The two of them sat in that tree, talked and played games for the next hour until Iruka finally realized that they both hadn't returned from lunch break and came looking for them.

 **VVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVV**

The rest of the day passed quickly with a lecture on different types of handheld weapons and a lesson and demonstration on genjutsu.

At the end of class, Iruka caught Haya before she and Naruto ran off. "Haya. Hokage-sama wishes to see you in his office."

"Okay Iruka-sensei, let's go Naruto" Haya grabbed Naruto's hand and tried to pass the classroom's threshold.

"Uh. Haya. It has been requested by the Hokage that you go alone. Naruto must stay here."

"Awwwwwww. Iruka-sensei…" Naruto pouted as his expression dropped.

"That's okay, Naruto. I'll be right back and then we can go." Haya smiled reassuringly and gave Naruto a thumbs up as she exited the classroom and ran down the hall.

There was a "come in" from behind the door before Haya even reached the Hokage's office. A little startled, Haya opened the door hesitantly.

"H-hokage-sama?" Haya questioned quietly. There was no doubt that even if she hadn't said anything at all he would know she was there. The man was intimidating as all hell, he was the Hokage afterall.

"Yes. Haya. I wanted to speak with you about your current situation. Please sit." She followed his hand to the chair positioned across from his desk. "I want you to know, I have known Anzu for a very long time and her late husband was a very important friend and talented ninja. He was killed in the Second Shinobi War many years ago. When you were found outside of the village I had you placed in her care, I felt that you could do as much for her as she could for you. I also know that she would like for you to that she loved you very much, as if you were her own kin." The Hokage reached into his desk and Haya heard things being continuously pushed around until the man seemed satisfied. "These are for you. It is not much but she wanted to leave you with this."

Sarutobi passed over a small leather pouch. Haya took it slowly. Inside of the pouch was a bundle of cloth and a piece of folded paper. She opened up the paper to see the beautiful calligraphy that was Anzu's writing.

 _My dearest Haya,_

 _If you are reading this, I am gone and Sarutobi has done what I requested of him. I want you to know that I love you. I hope you grow into a fine young woman without me and perhaps a strong kunoichi like I know you have the potential to be. You will not remember this, but when you were very young I told you stories of my late husband, Botan. He was a brave ninja and although I never told you exactly who he was you always seemed to admire him. You used to say you wanted to grow up and be just like him. I know that you will miss me and I you but know that I am in peace. I get to see my beloved again. I have seen many days and it is now your turn. I hope you find people who love you as much as I love you. I would write more but I don't know particularly what to say. I have also given you something that I know Botan would like for you to have if you decide to become a kunoichi. It was his first weapon. Also there is one more thing. Not nearly as significant as the other gift I have given you however I believe it has sentimental value. The white cloth that Botan's weapon is wrapped in was the same blanket you were found in. Rather than allowing it to be ruined I stored it away. And Haya, for a long time you may be ridiculed by the people around you but they only act that way because they are cowards who fear the unknown. Be proud that you are different but remember that you do belong in the village, it doesn't matter where you are from because this is your home. Do not despair for long. I love you so much and I will be with you forever and perhaps we will meet again but hopefully no time soon._

 _I love you._

 _Love, Anzu._

Haya read the note then skimmed it a couple of time again. She savored each and every word written on the paper. She couldn't stop the single tear that slid down her cheek without her consent. She noticed it when it hit the page. Immediately she sniffed and wiped her watery eyes, she wasn't about to cry in front of the Hokage. Without meeting Sarutobi's eyes, Haya's attention shifted to the bundle. Hesitantly, she unwrapped the blanket only to be left with a handheld knife. It was just a traditional, short knife. She handled in each hand, tossing it back and forth, weighing it, testing it. It wouldn't be a great throwing knife.

 _Hand to hand combat_ Haya thought.

"I remember that knife" Sarutobi's words broke through her thoughts. "Botan's father gave that to him when he graduated from the academy. It became his favorite and nearly his only special weapon until he became a chunin and he needed something that could truly face up to another ninja. It won't be any good in a real fight. Use it wisely." He sat silently for another couple of minutes as Haya fingered through all of her gifts.

Haya kissed Anzu's signature on the paper once she had tucked everything away. "Thank you" she whispered. When she had finally regained a sense of reality Haya looked back to the Hokage.

"There was another reason I brought you here today. As a result of Haya's death you are now left homeless. Unfortunately, I cannot allow you your previous home because there were multiple complaints from the residents of that area. There is the option of the orphanage and if that is where you wish to go then I will secure your spot in the orphanage-"

Haya cut the old man off. "Hokage-sama. If it doesn't cause too many problems I already have a solution. Naruto has offered for me to live with him in his apartment and that is what I would like to do."

But of course, he knew already. Sarutobi smiled slightly. "Then with Naruto it is. Are you sure? He can be a handful after all."

"I am sure. I think that Naruto needs me as much as I need him."

"Alright. Haya, you are dismissed." Haya stood and bowed.

"Thank you Hokage-sama."

"You are very welcome." With those words, Haya walked out of the Hokage's office, down the hall and back to the classroom.

"Lets go home, Naruto." Haya smiled and followed the bubbly blonde as he led the way home.

Naruto opened the door to his apartment and Haya was suddenly hesitant to step in.

"This is where you live?" Haya took one step in and allowed Naruto to close the door behind her but she didn't really want to go all that much further.

"Huh? What's wrong with my apartment?" Naruto looked at her with an expression between shock and confusion. Haya just shook her head.

"Naruto, your apartment is a mess." She picked up the dirty shirt that sat on the floor by her feet by the door to prove her point. "I don't even know how this got out here when your room is god-knows-where. But I do know it probably shouldn't be all the way over here."

"Oh, w-well I guess it is a little messy. Haha." Naruto scratched the back of his head with a sheepish grin.

"A _little_? Right. Okay. Sure." She shook her head and then came to her conclusion. She pushed past Naruto, pulling her sleeves up.

"What are you doing?" Haya had already gathered about ten ramen cups in her arms.

"I'm cleaning. What, have you never seen someone clean before? Where's your trash?" She wandered around in Naruto's silence until she found the garbage and was unsurprised to find it empty.

"No. I just- are you sure you want to clean?" She turned on him with a pointed look as she brushed her hands off each other in a gesture of a job well done.

"Yes. You're going to help me. Gather up all of your you have a washing machine?"

"Um… Yes?" He looked unsure.

"Do you know how to use it?"

"Um… No?" She sighed.

"Alright. Fine. Change of plans. You pick up all of the trash and put it in bags. That works anyway since you know where the trash bags are. Each bag you fill goes by the door. I'll do your laundry." Haya waved Naruto away. "Chop chop. We need to get done by the end of the day."

And off she went. Picking up clothing from the living room and kitchen and putting it all in the wash in a closet off the hallway. She turned it on and set off for Naruto's room, preparing herself for the inevitable horror to come.

Naruto watched her flutter around his apartment in surprise. When she finally disappear from sight he began to move and pick up the ramen cups. It wasn't that he couldn't clean, it was just that no one had ever forced him to. But here she was, forcing him to clean, and slowly he was beginning to wonder if it was worth it to live with her.

Hours passed of cleaning and when Naruto's sheets finally dried, Haya made his bed. She stepped back and let out a long sigh. Looking around, she felt satisfied enough to leave the room. When she walked back into the living room she was satisfied to find that Naruto had taken all the garbage bags out of the apartment.

Naruto sat at the table consuming a cup of ramen. Haya put her hands on her hips "So, do you like it?"

"Wrl, s' prey gerd. s' jus' so diffren', so cean" Drops of the broth flew out of his mouth as he slurped ramen from the cup. Deciding to just let him finish his ramen, Haya plopped herself down across from him.

She finally got Naruto's attention when she pulled out the leather pouch she had been given by the Hokage. She pulled out the bundle and unwrapped thee blanket to find the tanto and place it on the table in front of her and by extension in front of Naruto.

"Where did you just pull all of that from?" Naruto's eyes were wide and curious, curious enough to have pulled his attention away from the cup of Ramen in his hands.

She ignored his question and instead picked up the knife.

"Where did you-"

"It was given to me by the woman who took care of me." Instead of elaborating, Haya examined the knife. She wasn't entirely sure how old it was but it looked brand new and it became clear that it was a special item that, even after Botan's death, Anzu took great care of.

The tanto was straight rather than curved like some other knives were. The saya was a dark mahogany color. Either end was gold and engraved in the gold was fire that looked as though it consumed the saya. The handle was white and made of a material that Haya couldn't identify. It was bumpy so that the blade's wielder could get a good grip. There was a red jewel set into the handle.

The most interesting part about the knife was the blade itself. Where the blade met the handle was gold to match the saya but engraved on the side of the blade was a dragon. It was obviously made with great patience and attention to detail. It was beautiful.

She sheathed the blade again and set it to the side, slapping Naruto's hand away when he went to grab it.

"That's a really cool knife!"

"It is."

"Are you gonna keep it?"

"Yes."

"Bummer."

"I suppose for you, yes." Naruto pouted.

"Well anyway, it's totally cool!"

Haya stood up and walked over to the small area that Naruto called a living room and sat down on the couch, bouncing up and down a little, testing for comfortable. Satisfied, she sat still and looked to Naruto.

"Do I get to sleep on the couch? Because it's comfortable!" Haya grinned and Naruto shrugged.

"Alright, sounds good to me!" Naruto just gave her a thumbs up. Haya's stomach growled.

"I think we should go out for food, and maybe I can get some clothes to wear while we're out." Haya suggested

"Well, alright, ramen?" Naruto was hopeful so Haya agreed.

"Okay, ramen."

* * *

 **Thanks for reading! I know it's taking a while but I feel like I can't find a good place to time skip to the graduation. Maybe the next two to four chapters will be about their time in the Academy because the Academy is where I really want to let Haya develop herself. (Hence why it takes so long). BUT FEAR NOT! I have a plan already for what happens AFTER they al graduate from the Academy.**

 **ANYWAY!**

 **READ AND REVIEW! THANKS LOVELIES!**


	5. Chapter 5

**Alright, since I started the story out before the Naruto timeline, I'm doing a time skip. Im really bad at making timeskips smooth so bear with me!**

 **I've also realized that I've never really described what she looks like so I touched on it a little although its not particularly important at the most.**

 **ALRIGHTY!**

 **READ AND REVIEW!**

 **DISCLAIMER: I DO NOT OWN NARUTO OR ANY ORIGINAL CHARACTERS, ONLY HAYA, ANZU AND BOTAN! THANKS!**

* * *

The next three years went by quickly. Naruto and Haya became comfortable around eachother. They could read eachother's moods and knew eachother very well. Haya was eight now and Naruto was ten. They each had two years left in the Academy.

Haya had grown and was just as tall as Naruto was. Her short medium-brown hair had become lighter until it turned dirty-blonde. Her dark blue eyes had lightened as well and taken on a grey-ish tint. Her hair had grown just past her shoulders and she braided it into two braids on either side of her head. She now donned black baggy pants, black shinobi sandals, and a simple sleeveless zip-up turquoise hoodie. There was a kunai holster on her right leg just like Naruto and she always kept Botan's tanto wrapped around her leg under her pants. No one really knew she had it other than the Hokage and Naruto and for some reason she just felt she should keep it that way and so she did.

Within those three years Haya had caught herself up to the ninja curriculum at the academy. She was the youngest in the class by two years and by extension she was the smallest. The Hokage and Iruka wanted to keep her with Naruto and it didn't seem to be causing a problem for anyone.

In sparring she had learned to use her size as an advantage by ducking low and developing agility. She was still the best knife thrower and whenever they practiced knife throwing, Iruka would throw things such as apples for her and Sasuke to hit rather than stationary targets. Her jutsu was mediocre, she could produce a decent clone, henge, and substitution but occasionally there were flaws.

Most of all, when it came to classroom learning Haya was the best. She studied to catch up to everyone else's level and quickly surpassed most of the class. She rivaled Sasuke and Sakura in scores on written tests. The one time she had received less than a hundred percent on a test she received a ninety-eight instead, Sakura had received a ninety-four, and Sasuke received a one-hundred percent keeping him at the top.

Haya was quick to rise to second in the class directly below Sasuke who produced better justu.

Weeks turned in to months and Haya was nearly caught up to the arrogant Uchiha. Meanwhile, her very own blonde, orange-jumpsuit wearing roommate was at the bottom of the class. She wanted to help him but he had never asked so she never did. Despite all of her success, Naruto never once seemed jealous. He was only seemed happy for her and especially ecstatic when the large gap between her and Sasuke's ability began to close.

"Naruto, how do I put this? You fail. Again." Iruka sighed and ran his hand down his face to emphasize his dismay.

"WHAT? But I hit the target this time!"

"No. You hit a target. The wrong target to be specific. Once. Half of your kunai didn't even go far enough and the one that did was about ten feet above the top of the target."

Naruto laughed nervously "Ehh, I-I did that on purpose. Yeah! All on purpose. It was all my skill!"

Iruka sighed again. "Naruto, what I can't seem to be able to wrap my head around is the fact that you are living with the top kunoichi in your class who just so happens to excel at throwing knives/kunai and yet none of her skill has rubbed off on you. Why haven't you simply gone to Haya for help Naruto?"

Naruto squinted at Iruka "Because I can do it myself! Everyone else has learned on their own. I don't need Haya! I can do it on my own!" He spoke loudly with a firm finality to his voice.

"You... you don't need me?" Both males turned towards the door where the voice had come from.

"N-no" Naruto scratched the back of his neck. "I don't mean it like that."

Haya narrowed her eyes "Naruto, simply ask and you shall receive."

Naruto closed his eyes and seemed to be fighting himself. He fisted his hands and clenched his eyes shut tight. "Will you, argh! Will you help be learn how to throw kunai? P-please." Haya seemed content with his admitting of his need for help. She crossed her arms and stuck her nose in the air.

"Well, I suppose I could help you. Since you asked nicely and I am such a great knife thrower. I'm glad you've come to recognize my greatness." Haya held her pose for a minute before she and Naruto both burst out in laughter at her totally un-Haya-like actions.

"Good luck Haya, you'll need it." Iruka smiled at her but she knew he wasn't joking.

And he wasn't. Naruto threw the kunai with no aim, no form, no fluid motion of any kind. Haya sat in the three next to Naruto as he threw kunai at the tree sitting opposite her perch. They worked in the tree-filled area just behind the academy.

"No. Again, try it again. This time focus. Don't just think that you want it to happen, you have to ensure that it happens." She jumped down and walked over to Naruto's side. "Think about where you want you kunai to go" She took a large, deep breath "shift yourself into a position in which you feel grounded, you need to be able to control yourself before you can control an object" She spread her feet apart so that her stance was yet supple "then aim, and throw and follow through." She guided the kunai away from her hands. It cut through the air silently and embedded itself at the base of a small branch with many leaves on the target tree. It was far above the trunk at which Naruto had been aiming.

"Hey! What was that? You missed!" Naruto's arms dropped to his side and he turned to his roommate.

"Did I?" Haya smirked and him and slowly walked over to the tree. She stopped about two feet from the trunk and, glancing back at Naruto with a "watch me" smile, she threw a roundhouse kick at the tree. She held out her arm just in time to catch the branch and the kunai. When she turned back to her blonde friend his expression was awestruck. Haya challenged him to say something with one eyebrow. When his mouth opened and closed like a fish she walked back to his and handed him the kunai again. "Now you try it."

"O-okay." Naruto took a deep breath. "I'm gonna do this better than even you! Believe it!" Haya giggled at his exclamation.

"Alright. Now take a deep breath and focus on the kunai in your hand" Naruto breathed deep. "Steady yourself. Feel the ground. Feel the air. Feel the tree. Feel your kunai." Naruto distributed his weight as he spread his feet apart. "Now know where you want your kunai to go. See the tree in front of you. Pinpoint it. Now throw." Naruto threw the kunai. It whizzed through the air quietly and quickly. It made a small cutting noise when the side of the kunai sliced about on inch into the side of the tree trunk. The kunai landed a couple of feet behind the tree.

"YES! DID YOU SEE THAT?! Did you see that? I'm on my way to becoming the greatest ninja and hokage ever! Believe it!" Naruto was pumping his fist in the air as he jumped up and down with joy.

"Great! That was your first hit! Naruto, there's hope for you yet! Now go and get the kunai and try again. This time, try to think of the kunai as an extension of your arm. Think about it as though you yourself were going to fly straight through the middle of that tree. That's what a weapon is anyway. It's an extension of yourself. A weapon only enhance one's preexistent skills and ability, it doesn't create them."

"Alright!" Naruto ran towards the kunai and plucked it from the ground. He ran back twice as fast, eager to continue training. Each time he threw the kunai it just got closer and closer to the exact target that Haya had marked in the tree trunk. By sunset, Naruto had hit the mark ten times in a row and Haya was satisfied that she had done.

"Naruto, that was amazing. Tomorrow we'll practice again. If you get the mark right away we'll work at different distances and heights. Then you will start changing your own position, throw from trees, running around, etc. Then, moving targets. We're done for today, lets go get ramen, my treat." A panting Naruto perked up at the mention of free ramen and had retrieved the kunai in the blink of an eye. In reality, Iruka had pulled Haya aside and given her the money to buy herself and Naruto ramen after training considering that there would be no way she could pay from her own pocket. Iruka acted as though he could barely put up with Naruto but Haya knew that when it all came down to it, Iruka cared a lot for the boy.

For the next couple of days the two went to school in the morning and early afternoon then once school ended they would go to the wooded area and practice. Naruto's skills built up little by little and by the end of the week, Naruto could (almost) always hit the apples and tomatoes as they were tossed through the air. Haya was extremely impressed with his progress and would have been even more so if she hadn't noticed him sneaking out each night to go practice on his own.

In class for the entire week they hadn't done anything at all revolving around kunai and target practice which, in its own way, Haya was happy about. She couldn't wait for Naruto to show up that arrogant Uchiha. He constantly got on her nerves because despite not being better than her with weapons, Sasuke had better jutsu and had no reservation about rubbing it in her face in his own brooding way.

"Left!" Haya threw an apple to Naruto's left only for it to be tacked to the tree not long after it left her fingertips. "Right!" The same thing happened with his right side. This time she didn't say anything, only slap her hand on her thigh and threw the apple in a random direction. It took him a second longer but Naruto hit that one too, pinning it to the tree behind her.

"Nice! Now let's play a game. Each of us throws an apple as fast as we can and the other has the hit it. The one to hit the apple first wins."

"Let's do it! I'm gonna win! Believe it!"

"Alright. Here." She handed him a green apple. "Same size, color, shape, everything. No tricks. Ready?" He nodded."One… Two…Thr—"

"WAIT!" Naruto yelled. "If you get to count down then how do I know exactly when to go?"

"Fine. You count down then"

"Alright. I will." Naruto nodded and clenched his apple in one hand and his kunai in the other. "One. Two. Three. GO!" They both whipped their apples as hard as they could towards the other. Then their kunai were thrown through the air. They both landed with a thud. One after another.

"You sure talk big but you can't really walk the walk huh, Naruto?" Haya teased.

"Argh, you threw your apple late!" Naruto yelled.

"You're the one who insisted on counting down right? For that exact reason I believe. Not my fault you didnt think it through." Haya raised her arms and shrugged. "Let's go home. Iruka-sensei said there might be time for throwing work tomorrow so we need rest. That means no sneaking out, Naruto." She gave him a pointed look and he looked back sheepishly.

"Oh okay…" He scratched the back of his neck while he grinned. "I can't wait to wipe the grin off of Sasuke's face tomorrow! That idiot won't know what hit him!"

"Sasuke! You're up!" Iruke called him and almost routinely, all the fangirls shrieked and their eyes were overtaken by hearts. The boy named walked up with his usual non-chalant expression and his hands in his pockets.

Iruka had taken to throwing targets for Sasuke and Haya so when he threw three apples at once they were each nailed to the tree in the order that they were thrown. All the fangirls screamed and Haya covered her ears.

"Thank you Sasuke. Haya, your turn. Ummmm. Where'd she go?"

"Iruka-sensei? I'm up here," Haya waved from the tree behind the crowd of students. She and Naruto sat on the largest branch taking bites out of apples and playing guessing games.

"Aren't you going to come down from there?"

"Once you throw the apples." Haya shrugged and closed her eyes. Her three kunai were spinning carelessly around her fingers and both hands were stuck in the air. Iruka sighed.

"Oh alright. Are you ready?" Haya could have sworn he heard Sasuke 'tsk' but she didn't mind. He just couldn't handle when she showed him up. _Well he's in for a surprise._

"Yes, Iruka-sensei." Apples were tossed one by one with only a second in between each. The first went up and Haya was gone from her seated position in a flash. She hit the trunk of the tree about fifteen feet from her previous position just after the first apple was pinned down. She was gone again and the was only a breeze through the air as the next apple was pinned to the trunk of the tree Naruto was still sitting in. Finally, she left her position and before anyone new it there was a 'squish' and Haya was back sitting beside Naruto just taking a green apple off of the tip of her last kunai which she had never actually thrown. There were shocked gasps. Haya had hit moving targets while _she_ was moving which seemed nearly impossible to Academy students until just now.

"Haya, that was… Amazing." Iruka nearly dropped his little clipboard and Mizuki, the newest sensei, seemed very surprised. He let out a long, slow whistle.

Haya shrugged. "I like apples." And as if she had rehearsed it, she took a bite of her apple while she swung her legs back and forth on the branch. When she saw Sasuke he was staring at her. It wasn't quite a look of hatred but it wasn't a nice look either. She couldn't quite place it. She still didn't like it though.

Iruka shook his head. "Alright." As he realized what was next he sighed. "Naruto… You're up." Naruto threw himself off the tree and Haya laughed at him enthusiasm which of course prompted odd looks from her peers.

No one really talked to her other than Naruto. She couldn't decide if it was still because they didn't know where she was from or because she hung around Naruto or because she was so much younger than them but she really didn't care because she didn't think much of any of them anyway. Hinata was nice to her, Choji was pretty cool but really protective of his food, Kiba was annoying as all hell, Shino was… interesting enough, Shikamaru was obviously smart but lazy, why others couldn't see that she wasn't sure, Ino and Sakura were fan girls, and Sasuke was the annoying duck-haired stuck-up jerk he had always been.

Haya cupped her hands over her mouth. "Let's go Naruto!" Naruto turned around and grinned, giving her a thumbs up as reassurance that he had it in the bag.

"I don't know why she's cheering him on. He's just gonna fail like he always has. Naruto is a loser. He'll always be a loser." Sakura's smug voice rang out through the crowd all-but-quietly. Haya just wanted to throw a kunai at her head like she had all those years ago but both Iruka and the Hokage had warned against it and she really didn't want to go against the Thrid Hokage.

Haya just shot a thumbs up back to the blonde to encourage him and Naruto took the kunai from Iruka.

"Ok Naruto just try to hit the post, don't even both with the—" 'THUNK!' Iruka didn't even finish speaking before he was forced to look up. 'THUNK!' 'THUNK!' The entire class went silent. Seconds later that silence was broken by clapping and cheering coming from the tree in which Haya sat. Each of the three marks in the tree had been hit perfectly.

"WOOHOO! GO NARUTO! YEAH!" Haya cheered and clapped.

"What?!" Sakura shrieked. "There's no way that _Naruto_ threw those. Haya probably threw those when we weren't looking!" Haya put her hands on her hips and peaked down at the corwd.

"Oh really? Iruka-sensei, please allow me." Haya hopped down and grabbed a couple of apples out of the basket. "Now, everyone, please watch closely even though we would be happy to repeat this as many times as need be." Once she knew she had gained everyone's attention, Haya nodded to Naruto. "One. Two. Three." She tossed the apples up on each number and with each apple she tossed in the air, Naruto threw a kunai to meet each apple and pin it down to the tree.

Satisfied, Haya turned to everyone. "Happy?" Most everyone's faces were blank. No one was sure what to think. Iruka had dropped his clipboard and Sakura couldn't stop her jaw from dropping. "I take credit for" She gestured towards Naruto in a round hand motion "all of that."

"Hey! I put in all the work!" Naruto wasn't about to let her take all the credit. Haya huffed.

"Fine. I take credit for" She made a similar yet smaller gesture than her previous action " _most_ of that" then Haya raised an eyebrow at Naruto as if to ask " _better?"_ to which he just nodded.

"I was hoping he'd at least be able to graze the side of the target. Maybe hit the tree once or twice. That was incredible Haya. How did you-?" Iruka didn't seem quite sure how to finish his own thought. Haya just grinned.

"You all underestimate Naruto. He's more capable than you think." Haya just looked at her nails.

"Of course he is! Naruto, I believe in you." A cheery male voice jumped in immediately and all eyes turned toward Mizuki. Naruto smiled enthusiastically.

"Thanks Mizuki-sensei!" Pumping his fist out, Naruto gave Mizuki a thumbs up but when Mizuki smiled back there was something in his eyes that made Haya shiver, she just wasn't sure what it was.

"Anyway, Iruka-sensei, I believe that would go down on the record as the first of many passes for Naruto" Haya picked up Iruka's clipboard and tapped Naruto's name with the tip of her finger. Iruka fumbled for a bit, regaining his touch on reality and attempting to grab at the clipboard.

"W…Well yes, I suppose that would be right. This is Naruto's first pass with handling kunai. Congratulations Naruto!" Iruka smiled as he wrote the first checkmark next to Naruto's name.

"YEAH! BELIEVE IT! YOU'RE LOOKING AT THE NEXT HOKAGE! WOOHOO! EVERYONE IS GOING TO RESPECT ME PRETTY SOON! JUST YOU WAIT! YEAH! BELIEVE IT!" Naruto jumped in the air with his fist held straight above his head.

"Don't get too excited Naruto. You still fail all of your other subjects." Iruka deadpanned. Most of the class started get over their initial shock and began laughed at Naruto.

"Haha. Naruto, just because you can do one thing doesn't mean you're not still a failure." Sakura pointed her finger at him as she giggled. "Right Sasuke?"

Sasuke, who normally would simply ignore any one of his classmates when they attempted to catch his attention, smirked. "Naruto, no matter what you do you're still a _loser_."

"Argh. I'LL SHOW YOU! I'M ON THE ROAD TO BECOMING MUCH BETTER THAN YOU! BELIEVE IT! AND YOU KNOW WHAT SASUKE? YOU'RE NOT EVEN THE BEST! HAYA IS GONNA GRADUATE TOP OF THE CLASS AND YOU WON'T EVEN COME CLOSE! HA!" Naruto tossed a finger in Sasuke's direction and grinned. At the moment it didn't matter who beat Sasuke so long as they beat Sasuke.

"Tsk. Good luck with that." Sasuke brushed off the idea only before shooting a glare at Haya who just took it as a challenge. Who's to say that after living with Naruto for a couple of years he hadn't rubbed off on her?

Iruka decided to defuse the situation the best way he knew how. "Alright everyone! Now back to class for a lecture on genjutsu." Everyone groaned before turning and walking back into the building in a large crowd. Naruto ran ahead to, what Haya assumed was, pull a prank on the late comers. Sasuke became lost in the crowd as the fangirls parted almost immediately to create a path for him to walk through, and Haya dropped behind.

She walked so when Iruke caught up to her he placed a hand on her shoulder and she jumped as she spun around, startled.

"Haya. I don't know what you did, but thank you." Iruka whispered it quietly, no one needed to know that he played favorites. Haya smiled.

"You don't need to thank me Iruka-sensei, Naruto is my friend. It's just what friends to." She kept walking and Iruka's hand fell to his side. Unconsciously, Iruka smiled. He was glad the two had found each other, they both needed a friend.

* * *

 **This chapter was really just to touch on what she did in the academy then its not just all empty space. There will probably be a time skip next chapter or the chapter after as well so again, bear with me!**

 **THANKS FOR READING!**

 **I don't want to make my OC invincible but she will be powerful because she needs to be able to hold her own.**

 **Her main thing will probably be her versatility with the ninja arts but you'll just have to wait and see!**

 **READ AND REVIEW!**

 **See you next time lovelies!**


	6. Chapter 6

Haya had taken to reading books in the library. She would sit in the far back of the library after she collected four or five books and read them for the next couple of hours when she had the time. She read all sorts of books for all sorts of purposes, sometimes she read about the history of Konoha or the rest of the Shinobi world, sometimes she read ninjutsu scrolls, sometimes she read about all sorts of seals, and sometimes she just read fiction.

She had never been allowed to check books out so she opted instead to read the books in a sitting. How much she read or for how long depended solely on who was on duty as librarian that day.

A number of the librarians disliked Haya for reasons she couldn't understand, however there were two people, one woman and one man, who seemed to like her.

The woman was hesitant at first to let her stay for long but when she noticed Haya's pure interest in books and knowledge she became much more open and warm towards Haya.

The man was always kind right from the beginning. He went on about how delighted he was that there were youth actually taking interest in books and written knowledge.

On the days that the two of them worked in the library, Haya was welcomed to stay for as long as she wished so long as she didn't do anything to disturb anyone.

Haya was very quick to noticed, however, that the same welcome was not extended by any means to her knucklehead of a best friend.

Naruto had never tried by himself to enter the library and for good reason. There was once a book that Haya had read about the history of each Hokage that she believed he would enjoy despite his lack of enthusiasm for most books and reading. Despite his protests, she had managed to drag him to the steps of the library when a number of people rushed out and began to harass the pair.

They shouted obscene things at them and a couple of people even went as far as throwing rocks and sticks their way shouting words like "die you demon!" of which again, neither understood the meaning. Haya wasn't welcomed back for four weeks.

Currently Haya sat in her spot at the back of the library, unknown to almost everyone save for the librarians.

She was on a book called _Master Your Chakra_ written by some Yabuki guy.

"Channel your chakra to your feet or hands to maintain grip on the tree of building." She mumbled the words as she read them. "Interesting." She turned the page.

"The more chakra one has to begin with, the more difficult it is the master simple E-rank jutsu such as basic clone jutsu or transformation jutsu… Hmmm. I wonder how much jutsu Naruto has?" She quickly shook the idea of Naruto having so much jutsu he couldn't master it and replaced it with the idea that his control simply sucked.

She finished the book and and moved on to her last book to learn more about how to master your chakra control. After finding what she wanted, Haya quietly placed all her findings back where they belonged before leaving the library to find Naruto for lunch.

Haya walked down the path to the secluded wooded area she and Naruto went regularly to train their skills. It wasn't a real training ground, just the only place she knew they would be chased away from. The only place where they could be alone, without the scorn of the village.

First, Haya practiced henge and clone jutsu. Like she had read, she tried to picture exactly what she wanted and focus her chakra. There was the unmistakable 'POOF!' of a clone and and a second Haya appeared before her eyes. Only, it wasn't quite herself. Her kunai holster was on the right leg rather than the left and instead of a turquoise sweatshirt, her twin had a slightly less vibrant turquoise tee-shirt. Where Haya's hair was braided, the clone's was down, and there was one more thing. It was the first thing she noticed and Haya let out a shriek as she jumped away, horrified at the sight before her.

Her nose was huge.

Quickly, as to not bear witness to the sight before her, Haya dispelled the clone.

"Sheesh, that was ugly. Alright, one more time." Haya began to use the hand seals "Tiger, Boar, Ox, Dog"

The next clone that appeared was okay in facial structure, if anything their eyes were set too close together. There were still problems with apparel, however, and Haya quickly dispelled the clone again.

"Tiger, Boar, Ox, Dog" The clone this time appeared fine, but within the next couple of seconds it began to resemble Naruto's clones and started to fade. Haya gritted her teeth.

"Tiger, Boar, Ox, Dog!" She did it again and again and finally, when there were only a few minor differences involving the clone's clothing, Haya moved on to her henge.

Half an hour passed and Haya was panting. As the time went on she found herself talking aloud as though there were another within the vicinity. "Alright. Good enough. Now, what was that thing I read about channeling chakra into objects?" She picked up a kunai and then after a second thought shook her head "I should start with something attached to myself like my hand."

The girl sat on the ground and crossed her legs. She breathed slowly and shut her eyes in concentration. She had read somewhere that chakra control took years to perfect and master even for Hyugas, but she also figured that this wasn't her trying to master chakra control, it was just her trying to start it.

She tried to feel her chakra, coax it in a way that it could be directed to where she wanted it to go.

She felt nothing. Her eyebrows scrunched in deeper concentration. She _had_ chakra, but where was it? And so, she sat there for the next thirty minutes trying to direct her chakra to her hand until she felt an odd tingling sensation. It wasn't by any means a bad feeling, just odd.

When the girl opened her eyes her hand was coated in this blue light of sorts, it wasn't something she could describe so easily. The chakra looked as though it were fizzling on her hand, it wasn't in any particular direction of shape, it was simply uneven and encased her hand entirely from her wrist to her fingertips.

Not wanted to let the opportunity slip away from her fingertips- _literally_ -Haya played even more on what she had read. Chakra can but used to amplify one's strength for something like an ordinary punch. If chakra is channeled into that limb, there is more force administered. And so, Haya channeled her chakra even more to her hand the best she could until finally, it looked almost like her hand was surrounded by a light blue flame. All the chakra appeared to be directed to the same place. Taking her chance, Haya stood, and ran at the tree closest to her at full force. She raised her arm and when she was close enough sliced her hand toward the tree.

Her hand hit the tree full force and as fast as it made impact her hand retracted.

"OWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWW!" She shrieked. "Ow! Ow! Ow! Ow! OW!Ahhhhhhhh! I'm an idiot!" She sucked in a breath abruptly and shook her hand around, anything to get rid of the current pain she was feeling.

In her silence there was a low and slow creaking sound and then the sound of leaves rustling and branches snapping. It was almost in slow motion as she turned around to the source of the loud noise-to the tree that, while she thought she hit it, seemed to have gotten its revenge on her.

Just as she made the full one-eighty degree turn the tree fell and hit the ground. Hard. It hit so hard that the ground seemed to have shook momentarily and Haya, being the forty-something pound, forty-five inch tall eight year old that she was, fell her feet pick up off the ground a couple of inches.

Being the perceptive eight year old that she was, she assumed that the tree didn't affect the rest of Konoha, only her private little training spot, so she wasn't worried when she got over the initial shock of a tree falling ten feet away from her. Then after the shock came the excitement.

"Yyyyyyyyeeeeeeeeessssssss! I did it!" She pumped her fist in the air triumphantly. Naruto seemed to be rubbing off on her as she ran around and did a slight victory dance. Oh how she couldn't wait to tell Naruto that she had taken out a tree! Sure, it wasn't a live opponent but it was a big, stubborn old tree that didn't go down without a fight!

As she came down from her high she was once again struck with the throbbing pain that was her right hand that, as she looked at it now, was beginning to swell.

"That's probably not good." Haya simply examined her hand and after deciding that she couldn't move either her pinky or her ring finger at all nor could she move the rest of her fingers without immense pain, she figured it would be best to take a trip to the hospital. But… not before she practiced some throwing with her left hand, it was her weaker hand after-all and this gave her the perfect opportunity to train it.

* * *

Haya got to the hospital just before a group of Jonin and Chunin got back from a mission. She got to the desk at the Emergency Room just as they walked through the door. All but one ninja had injuries but none seemed particularly severe-a couple gashes here and there, bruises scattered around their bodies, one was limping but it just seemed like a sprained ankle.

"How can I help you sweetie?" The young civilian receptionist looked down over her desk and smiled sweetly at Haya and the girl's attention was draw away momentarily from the group of ninja. After a second of decision regarding the ninja slowly approaching the front desk Haya turned back to the woman.

"Would it be alright if you saw to them first? There's more of them then there are of me and therefore more injuries." Haya smiled and the woman looked slightly surprised before she just regained her own smile and nodded.

"Of course." Haya moved out of the way and the woman motioned the group over. She addressed the first to reach the desk. "Sir, how can I help you?"

"Routine mission, just a few minor injuries sustained, we're simply in to be checked, bandaged, and cleared to go back out." He briefed her quickly and the receptionist nodded as this seemed to happen regularly.

Haya could hear the clacking of the keyboard from the couple of feet's distance she stood at. "Okay Sir. Please have a seat. A nurse will be around shortly to guide you to a room for a doctor to see you." He nodded at her and he and the rest of the team went to sit in the waiting room chairs. The woman looked down at Haya and Haya looked up at the woman as she walked back over to the desk. "What can I help you with sweetie?"

"Ummm…" Haya was hesitant to tell her she hit a tree and the tree hit back because it just seemed weird so instead… "I fell down the staircase and I think I broke it" Haya swung her

arm as high up as she could so it landed on the desk that was just below her eye level. "Down this look broken to you?"

The young woman gasped, slightly horrified at the sheer size the little girl's hand had ballooned to. Her fingers were swollen to the size of marker, which, for her little size, was huge. The hand itself was almost doubled in size and the entire appendage had become and yellow-ish, blue-ish, purple-ish bruising color.

"Yes! Yes that _definitely_ looks broken to me! And how long ago did you say you obtained this injury again?" The woman was trying not to look at her hand.

Haya blinked. "Ummm. Well… I think… I'd have to say… Well I practiced a little afterwards… And then I walked here… So, about three hours ago?" It was a question because she wasn't quite sure herself and never kept track of time. It just felt that long. The woman just blinked and stared at Haya blankly.

"Three… hours… ago?"

"Yes?"

"Oh my lord. What has the ninja world done to our youth!" The woman cried out. One glance and she knew the girl was in the academy but the way she dressed but as a civilian woman, she cringed at the idea that children thought that injury was normal and took it so lightly as to wait three. whole. hours. to go to the hospital even when their broken hand looked like a balloon that was about to rise up and carry the child up up and away into the sky because it was so huge.

Haya just stared at her and the woman finally calmed. She sighed exasperatedly and rested her chin on her fist pointing to the waiting room with her free hand.

"The nurse will be right with you sweetie."

Haya skipped away to take a seat. Of course, as an aspiring ninja herself, the girl took a seat near the group of ninja that just got in. She found herself closest to the one uninjured man.

She stared at him, examining him. His hair was a light grey/silver even though, oddly enough, he seemed so young. The man must have been late twenties.

Just aura the let off tipped Haya off to the fact that he was most likely the strongest of this group of ninja. He wore a green vest that she recognized as the one you got when you became a chunin or a jonin. The man also wore his hitai-ate at an angle so that it covered one eye. _Perhaps he had lost that eye._ She thought. It wasn't rare for ninja to loose their eyes and wear eye patches because of it. The most interesting thing about this man however, was the mask he wore. She hadn't seen that before. Briefly, she wondered why he would wear a mask. Her mind drew up a number of defects he could have been born with or facial imperfections that made him uncomfortable, or perhaps it was to help him be unrecognizable to the enemy if they were to ever see him in day to day life. He couldn't _always_ wear that mask. _Could he?_

"Are you staring at me?" Her train of thought was interrupted by the mass of silver hair in front of her. Haya jumped in her seat. He had left his previous chair to stand in front of the girl that was so blatantly staring at her.

"Eeep!" She was too lost in thought to notice that he had noticed her. His rhetorical question remained in her mind as she tried to gather herself. "U-ummm. Y-yes?"

"Hm. Well that didn't sound particularly convincing." His _eye_ closed and seemed almost like the eye itself were smiling at her.

"I was just curious."

"Oh, were you now? About what?"

 _About your mask._ No. That's be too ridiculous to say. _"_ About how you are the only one uninjured in your group."

"Is that so?" He seemed convinced enough. "Well it just so happens that my buddies here were all in the wrong place at the wrong time while I was not. It's okay though, no harm done." The man with black, wild hair next to him leaned over and interrupted him. Haya recognized him as the first man to reach the desk and speak with the receptionist.

"Harm done or not, I noticed what you did, letting us be treated first. It's a good trait for a shinobi to have, helping others that is." Silently, Kakashi agreed with Kotetsu, this girl had the mentality it took to be a great teammate.

"Although, this looks serious, and it's no good to help others when you aren't in the condition to do so. It could put yourself at risk, or worse, your teammates and ultimately, your mission." Haya hadn't noticed Kakashi's movement until he had grabbed her right hand and was holding it in his own to prove his point. Haya gasped in pain and tried to pull her hand away from his firm yet gentle grip.

"Ow! Let go would you? That hurts!" She tried to slap his hand away with her good hand but against Kakashi Hatake, resistance is futile. Not that she would know that. He released his hold on her when he felt satisfied enough.

"Geez, Kakashi, that seemed a little too rough for the poor girl." The man who had sprained his ankle spoke next. His hair was dark brown and hung over his face. Rather than a headband he had a bandana of sorts with his hitai-ate attached over his head.

Unlike Izumo, Kakashi didn't feel particularly bad for the momentary pain he had caused, he was much more impressed with her pain tolerance. Based off of swelling alone, if he had done the same to any other child her age they would be screaming and breaking down into tears. _Not bad._ Kakashi mused.

During his time talking to the girl he also had noted her pure exhaustion which looked very much like chakra exhaustion, something he had battled many times. _And I thought she said she had fallen down the stairs._ Kakashi just stared doubtfully at her hand before coming to a conclusion. _Learning to channel her chakra at this age? I wonder who would teach her that and let her hurt herself so badly._

"Say, girl, what's your name?" Kakashi finally spoke as she nursed her arm.

"Haya."

"No last name?" Haya blinked as she had many times this day. That was a good question. She had never actually taken Anzo's name legally. At the academy they had just opted to calling her Haya without a surname. She felt that it wasn't a good idea to use Anzo's last name so she didn't. Instead, Haya just smiled brightly.

"No!"

"Okay then."

"Excuse me?" A voice sounded behind the group plus one. The nurse seemed a little hesitant to interrupt them. "We have a room ready for all of you." The nurse motioned the group of ninja to follow her and they all rose to their feet. Kotetsu and Izumo waved to the aspiring ninja as they disappeared down the hall. Kakashi, who was just there to make sure his team made it safely to the hospital, gave Haya that odd eye smile again before he stood and walked out the doors of the hospital and into the street.

Not five minutes later, another nurse appeared out of nowhere and Haya was escorted to a room later occupied by a very skeptical medic-nin who didn't believe one bit that Haya had sustained a broken hand _and_ chakra exhaustion all from falling down the stairs.

Suspecting exactly the same as Kakashi, the medic-ninja sent Haya home with a partially healed (but well bandaged anyway) hand and a basic run-down on how you're supposed to _properly_ channel your chakra without hurting yourself or anyone else.

* * *

Over the next several of months, Haya found herself in the hospital quite often. None of her injuries were anything more serious than a few broken bones. Occasionally she would show up with a Naruto in tow because they had been sparring and it got slightly out of hand. Of course, never did she tell the nurses or doctors the _real_ reasons she was in the hospital. It always ended up as some elaborate story about how she walked into a pole, or tripped and fell, or she was playing with a stray cat (which, to be honest, sometimes she was doing just that), or that a piano had randomly fell from a building and landed on her foot, and each time her stories got less and less believable but each and every time she still managed to convince half of the staff (mostly the civilians or the lower ranked ninja). There were however, numerous ninja that caught on to her deception but let her go on with her stories anyway since they could deduce from her injuries the idea of what she had done.

Haya, unlike Naruto who didn't want to spend his precious time getting bandaged up when he could be vandalizing Konoha with red paint, actually liked the hospital. The people were all very nice and occasionally she just went to hang around and offer her help to those that needed it.

Haya went from helping the nurses fold the laundry to bouncing around the waiting room, talking to all the ninja, finding out what she could about the missions they _could_ talk about.

There were even times when she would go out and pick dandelions if it were that time of year and, after finding out all the people that she could visit, she would bring dandelions to them to cheer them up. It didn't matter if they were just in for a check up or if they were what she called "residents of the hospital" she would still bring them flowers. The "residents" that were there for weeks on end found themselves actually looking forward to the couple of days where she would wander to the hospital and flutter around like a butterfly.

Occasionally she would come across a child around her age and they would talk before she left them a flower and moved on her way. Sometimes she would find ninja that she had already met in the waiting room weeks ago and she would ask them about their day, or how they had been since those many weeks before and then leave then a flower and be on her way. Her favorite times were when she found rooms with a group of ninja that she could talk to. She would leave each of them a flower and as she fluttered about the room, asking about their mission without going in to detail, asking about their families and friends or pets. Maybe should would ask about their ranks.

A majority of the time, everyone would tell her what they could without completely compromising the mission but occasionally there were ninja who would "rather not talk about it" or they weren't "authorized to talk about it" and if there were she would just let it go and change the subject, asking about normal things: hobbies, families, pets, books, friends, cool ninja experiences that they _could_ share.

Haya became someone that everyone knew. Anyone who frequented the hospital or worked there knew Haya and she knew them. She found it easy to place a face to a name or a name to a face and then it was simple enough to recall eveything she knew about them to use again in a future conversation.

She was curious, just as any eight and a half year old child would be, about the rooms that were off limits. Sometimes Haya lingered by the doorways as she walked by. Most of the time there was only silence, sometimes sobbing, and sometimes there was the sound of something crashing and breaking or something being thrown at the wall. All these people seemed so upset. But why were they upset? She didn't know. And each time, before she could bring herself to look into the room, a nurse would come and shoo her away and it was back to her daily rounds she went.

One day, however, Haya didn't feel like the hospital was such a nice place. One day, she had to go how early, leaving her handful of dandelions trailing down the hall and out the door. One day, she was in a room with one of the "residents" who was recovering from a mission-gone wrong when the medical-ninja healing his wounds for a daily session got a call on her radio.

It seemed urgent and the medic-nin's face seemed to loose color. The kunoichi told Haya to stay with the ninja resident, Ayamo, until she returned. But Haya's curiosity got the better of her as it would be _oh, so easy_ to sneak down to the emergency room and see what was happening. While Ayamo took a nap, Haya left the room and headed down stairs. The sight awaiting her terrified her.

There were about six, maybe seven or eight shinobi being carried in on stretchers, barely breathing. Two were missing limbs, the others had blood everywhere. Another three ninja walked in, one was missing a leg and the two that supported him didn't look great either, both seemed about to collapse and one woman had her eye shut, blood was dripping from closed lid.

It wasn't a sight for eight year old eyes.

Haya dropped her dandelions and ran as fast as she could in the other direction, she ran to the other side of the hospital until she reached the main doors and ran down the street, not stopping until she reached home and Naruto, where she felt safe.

* * *

 **Okay. That was a long chapter. Anyway, i enjoyed writing her trying to figure out her chakra because that's honestly how she will learn alot, self teaching.**

 **I also added in the hospital part to show what kind of a person she is.**

 **I ALSO (Also I'm using "also" alot) enjoyed writing her interaction with the receptionist because neither of them really had a clue what was happening.**

 **ANYWHO. Basically this chapter was aiming to be about how she learns from herself. First there are the books, which means she enjoys retaining the information, and then theres the idea that (even though she fails partially) she is putting the information to use, and then theres the fact that not only does she enjoy helping people but she is also gathering information as she goes, trying to learn from others without being extremely straightforward.**

 **ANYWAY! READ AND REVIEW! THANK YOU LOVELIES! (P.S. I dont own anything, it all belongs to Kishimoto-sensei (Except for my OCs of course)**


End file.
